Nightmare
by saxgirl42
Summary: A young Anakin looks for comfort on a cold, dark night. Part One of "Masters and Padawans".


_**Author's Note:**__ I had a bunch of these little one-shots roaming around in my head, finally decided to write them down, and this is what came of it! There will be at least 4 or 5 of these, all centered around the Jedi of course, but featuring different characters. Most of them have Obi-Wan, because - let's face it - he's awesome, and I put the character filters as Obi-Wan and Anakin because they are pretty consistently featured._

_So here is the first! Enjoy, and please leave some feedback!_

XxX

**Nightmare**

Anakin Skywalker never liked night much. He hated the dark, for one thing. He would never admit that he was afraid of it, insisting instead that he was just used to the dry, bright expanses of Tatooine. Also because of his previous home, he hated being cold, something he experienced every night. His master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, always raised an eyebrow at him when he asked for yet another blanket, but never questioned it outright. Anakin had about twelve on his bed now, and still found his toes getting cold in the dead of the night.

Of all the problems Anakin had with the night, the worst was the nightmares. They had started about a month into his Jedi training, and they always seemed to be about either his mother, Shmi, or the late Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn. He would watch in horror as his mother was murdered, or as Qui-Gon was cut down by a faceless Sith Lord. As terrifying as these images were to the young padawan, what frightened him the most was that after these horrible acts had taken place, Anakin could never find his last hope: Obi-Wan.

This was probably the unconscious embodiment of Anakin's doubt in his master's affections for him. They had made progress, definitely, but Anakin still felt they lacked whatever close link usually existed between master and padawan. He wanted contact; he was a young boy, even if he was training to be a Jedi, and he often ached for a hug, a hand to hold, or even just an affectionate pat on the head. The most Obi-Wan gave him was a kind, approving smile when he did something well, and if just that made Anakin's spirit soar, he wondered what a true hug would be like.

It was a cold night on Coruscant the night the link between master and padawan was created. Anakin had just witnessed a new dream, the murder of _Obi-Wan _by the faceless Sith. His heart had seized in horror as he beheld his master's death, smelled his blood, watched the life drain from his eyes. A ragged scream tore its way up from Anakin's belly, rasping as it caught in his constricted throat. It was that pain which finally jolted the boy awake.

He sat bolt upright in bed, little chest heaving. His blue eyes were wide with fear and his light blonde hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. He clutched the blankets to himself, waiting for something to happen. Had his scream come out? Had he awoken Obi-Wan? Would his master now come into his room and scold Anakin for disturbing his sleep? The boy sat, motionless but for his trembling. It took him a good two minutes to convince himself that his master was not awake.

But Anakin could not find the relief he usually felt after awakening from a nightmare. This time it had been different. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to rid his mind of the image of Obi-Wan, bleeding on the cold metal floor of some distant starship, his gray-blue eyes dull and unseeing, his light auburn hair in a strange disarray. But try as he might, Anakin found himself doubting. Had it been a vision of some sort? He remembered Master Yoda talking once about how some Jedi could sense danger before it happened, or even see the future. What if Anakin had just predicted the future?

In his sudden panic, Anakin convinced himself that he had to check on Obi-Wan. He had to be sure he was safe. Even though his master could sometimes be cold, there were moments when he showed affection toward Anakin, and it was in those moments that Anakin found himself becoming attached. He had to know he was all right.

Still clutching a blanket to himself, Anakin slipped out of bed and exited his room, his eyes wide so that he could take in as much of his surroundings as possible. Danger was behind every chair, under every table, lurking in every shadow. He hurried quietly to his master's door, but hesitated outside it, hand poised above the touchpad. Was he truly ready to see what lay behind the door? What would he do if Obi-Wan really _was_ gone? Anakin shook his head to clear that thought, cursing his imagination, and took a deep breath, then laid his hand on the pad.

The door slid open with a soft hiss, and Anakin stepped inside, letting it close behind him again. It was even darker in Obi-Wan's room than his own because the older Jedi did not use a night-light, so it took a moment for Anakin's eyes to adjust. As soon as he saw the peacefully sleeping form of his master, though, a great weight that he could not entirely explain lifted off his little shoulders. He gripped his blanket tightly around him and shuffled forward to the edge of the bed, unable to take his eyes off Obi-Wan. The Jedi Knight was sleeping on his back in the middle of his bed, one arm over his head, the other off to the side. Anakin watched his bare chest move up and down as he breathed and only then felt the true relief he usually felt upon awakening from a nightmare.

As though he had felt his padawan's strong emotions, Obi-Wan suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head to face Anakin, a slight furrow in his brow.

"Anakin?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. "What is it?" Anakin bit his lip and looked down, feeling foolish and rather ashamed now that he knew Obi-Wan was perfectly fine. His worry seemed quite irrational as he thought about it now. He was, after all, in training to become a Jedi, and Jedi did not run to their masters with every little fear and nightmare they had.

"Anakin." It was not a question this time. Anakin looked up to see Obi-Wan, now sitting up in bed, frowning at him. "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," Anakin mumbled, avoiding his master's eyes. He heard Obi-Wan sigh and felt a pang of regret; he was stupid to have come. Now he would be sent to bed with no comfort, and -

"Come here."

Anakin blinked, wondering if perhaps he had misheard those two soft words. He glanced up and saw Obi-Wan holding out a hand to him. Not willing to pass up the opportunity, he crawled onto the bed and took the proferred hand. Obi-Wan pulled him close, and Anakin - once he had overcome his initial surprise - curled up against his side, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan's firm torso. He was grateful for the contact; just the close proximity of Obi-Wan was dashing all memories of the nightmare from his mind.

"What was the dream about?" Obi-Wan asked, placing his arm around Anakin. Anakin snuggled into the embrace, inhaling the smell of sweat and traces of cologne still lingering on his master's person.

"You," he replied simply, not wanting to elaborate. Obi-Wan didn't say anything for a moment and Anakin closed his eyes, resting against the older man.

"Was this the first nightmare you've had?" Obi-Wan asked after the pause, and Anakin opened his eyes again; he recognized the tone of the question. It was a question Obi-Wan already knew the answer to, and Anakin hid his face when he replied.

"No," he muttered into his master's chest. There was another silence after that, but a comfortable one. Anakin almost fell asleep in Obi-Wan's warm embrace before the older man spoke again.

"Why don't you sleep here tonight," he said, lying down once more, but keeping an arm around Anakin. The boy only nodded in reply, one of his arms still draped over Obi-Wan's chest.

Obi-Wan watched the boy, vaguely wondering just how many nightmares Anakin had hidden from him. He hoped not many, although deep down he knew it was not the case. Anakin tried so hard to please him, Obi-Wan was willing to bet that he had awoken many a time to nightmares and stayed alone and frightened in his room, trying not to upset his master. Just the thought of that made Obi-Wan tighten his grip on Anakin; the poor boy probably thought he still did not like him.

This was simply not true. Anakin had been growing on Obi-Wan, at first like an annoying tumor, but increasingly more like an actual part of himself. Obi-Wan was starting to sense the potential _his_ master, Qui-Gon, had seen in the boy, and Obi-Wan found himself speaking like a proud father whenever he reported on the Chosen One to the Council.

So the thought of Anakin spending nights by himself, maybe scared out of his wits, made Obi-Wan determined to make it up to him. He made sure that Anakin was securely snuggled into blankets and against him (he _did_ know that the boy got cold easily), then reached over - careful not to awaken his padawan - and shut off the alarm beside his bed. He usually rose with the sun, but he had no appointments in the morning the next day and Anakin hated waking up early, so he figured he could sacrifice one early morning for the boy's sake.

Within minutes, both master and padawan were fast asleep.


End file.
